New coronavirus cases in Ky. rose 46% last week, and CDC says two counties have a medium level of risk: Montgomery and Bath

New coronavirus cases rose 46 percent in Kentucky last week, and deaths attributed to Covod-19 also increased. And after the state had a week in which every county was estimated to have a low risk of infection, two counties, Bath and Montgomery in east-central Kentucky, moved into the medium-risk zone.

The state Department for Public Health‘s latest report showed there were 3,245 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus last week, or 463 cases per day. In the prior week, the state reported 2,222 new cases, or 317 per day.

While the number of new cases went up, the new-case rate fell to 5.5 cases per 100,000 residents from 6.91 the week before. The top 10 counties were Nelson, 12.05 cases per 100,000; Wayne, 11.94; Henry, 11.52; Bath, 11.43; Clinton, 11.18; Hardin, 10.94; Union, 10.93; Adair, 9.67; Taylor, 9.42; and Powell, 9.25.

The weekly Centers for Disease Control and Prevention risk map shows that all but two of Kentucky’s 120 counties have a low risk of Covid-19. The two counties with a medium risk, shown in yellow, are Montgomery and Bath. Low-risk counties are shown in green.

The CDC continues to advise those in medium-risk counties, and those anywhere who are at high risk of getting very sick, to wear a well-fitting mask when indoors and in public; and to consider getting tested before having social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, and consider wearing a mask when indoors when you are with them.

The CDC also provides a community level transmission map, largely used by health-care facilities and researchers, that shows the level of virus in each county, at one of four levels. The latest map shows 10 counties with a low level of transmission and 70  with a medium level; the rest are either substantial or high. The state says residents should take their guidance from the other map.